Jammu, July 6:
Hundreds of farmers from the border areas staged a protest outside the Managing Director’s office of the Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (JPDCL) near Jammu University on Sunday, demanding immediate restoration of electricity to save their paddy crop.
The protest was led by former DDC Suchetgarh, Taranjit Singh Tony, who alleged that farmers are facing power cuts of up to 16 hours a day during the peak paddy transplantation season. He said the prolonged outages have made it difficult to operate irrigation pumps, putting the standing crop at risk.
Tony claimed that the border region is witnessing high temperatures, humid weather and very little rainfall, making electricity essential for irrigation. He urged the administration to ensure uninterrupted power supply to prevent heavy losses to farmers.
He also appealed to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene and direct the Power Development Department to improve electricity supply in the affected villages. Tony further demanded accountability for the prolonged outages.
Following the protest, officials assured the farmers that a joint inspection by the Mechanical Wing and the Power Development Department would be conducted at the Sai Power Station to assess the issue and suggest immediate measures for improving power supply.
Tony also raised the pending demand for the installation of a 6.3 KVA transformer at Village Byapur, stating that it has been delayed for nearly 10 months. According to him, Mechanical Wing officials assured the protesters that the transformer would be installed by Saturday.
